Peter Humphries - Agriculture Teacher

Shelby Taggert, Cameron Wilkinson and Chelsea Heagney Deniliquin High School Creative Catchment Kids

Creative Catchment Kids is an initiative of the Murray Darling Association and Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre. It aims to improve engagement between the Local Land Services and school students by providing opportunities for positive and authentic ventures that encourage students to develop creative solutions to agriculture and natural resource management issues.

Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre

The Wirraminna Environmental Education Centre is located in Burrumbuttock, north of Albury in southern NSW. Since 1995, the centre, which is adjacent to Burrumbuttock Public School, has provided opportunities for discovery and learning about the natural environment, the ecology of the local woodlands and the beauty of native plants. www.wirraminna.org

Murray Darling Association

The Murray Darling Association has membership of over 100 Local Government councils in the Murray-Darling Basin, as well as community groups, businesses and individuals with an interest in ensuring that the Basin continues as a valuable asset for all Australians. Since 1950, the Association has initiated various school and community education programs on managing the Basin’s land and water resources. www.mda.asn.au

Enviro-Stories is an innovative literacy education program that inspires learning about natural resource and catchment management issues. Developed by PeeKdesigns, this program provides students with an opportunity to publish their own stories that have been written for other kids to support learning about their local area. www.envirostories.com.au Peter Humphries - Agriculture Teacher

Authors: Shelby Taggert, Cameron Wilkinson and Chelsea Heagney Teacher: Felicity Harley School: Deniliquin High School

Local Land Heroes

In 2014, students involved in the Creative Catchment Kids program researched and wrote stories about ‘Local Land Heroes’ - people, businesses or industries who contribute to productive agriculture and healthy environments along the Murray and Murrumbidgee rivers. The program was generously funded by Murray Local Land Services and Riverina Local Land Services.

Local Land Heroes acknowledges the United Nations 2014 International Year of Family Farming. www.fao.org/family-farming-2014/en/

Local Land Heroes is part of Enviro-Stories, a PeeKdesigns education program.

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Our local land hero is Peter Humphries. He is well-known throughout the Deniliquin district for his contribution to the agriculture program at Deniliquin High School. Peter has been teaching agriculture for 27 years. He has had a major input to the growth and further establishment of the school farm over that period of time.

2 Childhood

Peter grew up in Sydney, NSW with his parents. As a kid, he would go to his uncle’s farms and help out. Peter’s family is very close. Peter moved to Deniliquin in 1988 to pursue the agricultural career path that he had chosen.

3 Family

Peter’s family has always encouraged him to try his best and they made sure that he was getting a good education.

4 Influences

Peter’s influences to do what he is currently doing were mainly having to work on his uncle’s farms. Peter loved the country life, animals and teaching. Peter’s family was also a major influence in following this path.

5 The Deniliquin High School Farm

The school farm is located approximately one kilometre from the Deniliquin High School. Students catch buses from the school to the school farm. Students have the opportunity to work with livestock, sheep, chickens and alpacas. All together, there are approximately 200 animals including chickens. The farm is used by students from year 8-12. When the school farm first started there were around five classes visiting, now there are 12.

6 7 The Deniliquin High School Farm Contributions

The farm contributes to the school in many ways. It provides an education to students to further their skills with animals and to help students become more confident. It also contributes financially to the school by selling sheep, cattle and eggs.

8 9 Hypnotising Chicken’s

At the school farm, Peter likes to have fun with the students by teaching things that students will enjoy and will try. One of those things is hypnotising chickens. Students get much enjoyment out of learning how to hypnotise chickens.

How to hypnotise a chicken

STEP 1: Gently tuck the head of the chicken under its wing.

STEP 2: Rock the chicken gently for a short time.

STEP 3: Place the chicken on the ground. The chicken should now be hypnotised.

10 11 Achievements

Over the years, Peter has won various teaching and education awards. He has also won a Centenary Federation medal for working with the Agricultural Show Society.

Shelby Taggert, Cameron Wilkinson and Chelsea Heagney

2014 Year 8, Deniliquin High School

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